So why does this sentence ''Rosa craint que nous n'allions en vacances.'' mean that Rosa fears she will not go on vacation?
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So why does this sentence ''Rosa craint que nous n'allions en vacances.'' mean that Rosa fears she will not go on vacation?
Hi Yoel,
In a negation you ALWAYS need ne + another negating particle like pas, aucun, plus, jamais, etc. It isn't a negation without the other part. A "ne" alone does not a negation make.
This leaves a single "ne" open for other uses within a sentence, and the French language has found one for it: a single "ne" is used to emphasise the contextual relationship between a main clause and a subordinate clause. Particularly when the verb in the main clause carries a negative meaning such as "craindre".
Therefore you need to disreagard the "ne" in the sentence, it is a ne explétif and not a negation. Rosa is afraid that we might go on vacation, not the other way around.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
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